How do you read a big project code?

Let’s take a look at a few ways in which you can start to grasp a monolithic codebase.

1. Read the Documentation. The first place I start with a new project is reading over any available documentation or README files.
2. Read the Commit Messages.
3. Pairing.
4. Read the Tests.
5. Start with the Smallest Part.
6. Dive In.

Where can I read open source code?

5 Answers. You can browse open source projects on repository sites like GitHub, Codeplex, Google Code, or BitBucket. You’ll find projects of different complexity levels, so you should be able to find something that both interests you and doesn’t go over your head too much at first.

What is an open source codebase?

In software development, a codebase (or code base) is a collection of source code used to build a particular software system, application, or software component. Subversion, Git and Mercurial are examples of popular tools used to handle this workflow, which are common in open source projects.

How do you read an open source project?

How I learn an Open Source Codebase

1. Some steps. Here’s a sequence of events I go through when I’m trying to learn or contribute to an open source project:
2. Contributing Guidelines. Look at the contributing guidelines first!
3. Project setup.
4. Follow the code.
5. Break things.
6. Log and step through.
7. Conclusion.

How do I get Started with open source programming?

I think it’s the reason most open source projects start anyway; to fill a need. Get the code building and running on your dev box. Figure out how the system is used and familiarize yourself with the libraries used. (For example, if you see code with calls to some OpenGL lib, familiarize yourself with that library) Read the system’s documentation.

What are the best books to learn programming from the code?

If you want books that I found useful for learning how to learn from the code, I would check out Diomidis Spinellis’s books Code Reading: The Open Source Perspective and Code Quality: The Open Source Perspective. For your specific question, I would start with Code Reading.

What is the process of opening and reading a file?

When the codes for opening and reading a text using file handing are executed in Code::Blocks compiler, the first code opens the file on hard disk and the second reads the content of the file. As far as I think, the above source codes for opening and reading a text in C are useful in understanding the file handing process.

What is the best way to test a code?

Skim through the code, looking for places where you think you know what is occuring. Read through those sections to see if your initial thought holds up, and then try modifying it to see if you can change it to do something else.